LONDON: Reliance Industries
Limited and BP have announced a
historic partnership between the two
companies. Mr. Mukesh Ambani,
Chairman and Managing Director
of Reliance Industries Limited, and
Mr. Robert Dudley, BP Group Chief
Executive, signed the relationship
framework and transactional
agreements in London.
The partnership across the full
value chain comprises BP taking a
30 per cent stake in 23 oil and gas
production sharing contracts that
Reliance operates in India, including
the producing KG D6 block, and the
formation of a 50:50 joint venture
between the two companies for the
sourcing and marketing of gas in
India. The joint venture will also
endeavor to accelerate the creation
of infrastructure for receiving,
transporting and marketing of natural
gas in India.
The partnership will combine BP’s
world-class deepwater exploration
and development capabilities with
Reliance’s project management and
operations expertise.
Mukesh Ambani said: “We are

delighted to partner with
BP, one of the largest energy
majors and one of the finest
deep water exploration
companies in the world. This
partnership combines the
skills of both companies and
will be focused on finding
more hydrocarbons in the
deep water blocks of India
and significantly contribute
to India’s energy security.”
For BP, Reliance is a
natural partner in India, given
its strong position in the
Indian market.
“This partnership meets
BP’s strategy of forming
alliances with strong national
partners, taking material
positions in significant
hydrocarbon basins and Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries and Robert Dudley, BP Group
increasing our exposure to Chief Executive, signed a historic partnership toward exploration in India.
growing energy markets,”
said Mr. Carl-Henric Svanberg, acquired in the 23 production sharing payments and combined investment
contracts. Future performance could amount to US$20 billion.
Chairman of BP.
BP’s confidence in India is evident
BP will pay Reliance Industries payments of up to US$1.8 billion
Limited an aggregate consideration could be paid based on exploration from the fact that the transaction
of US$7.2 billion, and completion success that results in development constitutes one of the largest foreign
adjustments, for the interests to be of commercial discoveries. These direct investments into India.

BlackBerry: Tougher Measures Would Affect India’s Business
TORONTO (TOI): BlackBerry
maker Research In Motion (RIM),
which has faced many deadlines
from India for providing access to its
enterprise service or encrypted emails
in view of threats to the country’s
national security, on Tuesday said
that any tough measures by New
Delhi won’t help in attracting
businesses or its huge outsourcing
industry.
RIM, which has already given
the Indian authorities access to its
consumer services since January, is
unwilling to bend on its enterprise
emails in the world’s fastest growing
mobile market.
In a note to its enterprise customers,
the BlackBerry maker said it “fully
appreciates and supports the priority
India rightly places on national
security.” But the Waterloo-based
Canadian wireless giant added that
encryption is the key to wooing
and retaining business in today’s
world and Indian authorities have
understood its importance in

their various meetings with its
representatives.
Any ban on it will impact the
country’s economic
development and its
outsourcing industry,
RIM said
Expressing its
willingness to discuss
any policy changes,
RIM said since its
competitors also use
encryption in India,
they too should be
the subject of the
Indian scrutiny.
RIM said its
encryption-using
competitors have tried
to take advantage of
the situation Indian
authorities fixed
the spotlight on its
enterprise service.
Among the
companies which use encryption
in India are Nokia, Google, Apple,

Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and
Cisco, according to RIM. In its note,
RIM mentioned the January 31 as

the deadline for giving access to its
consumer services in India. But it

made no mention of any deadline
given by India for access to its
enterprise service.
India was among many
other countries, including
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and
Indonesia, which last year
threatened to shut BlackBerry
services for security or related
reasons.
Just last month, BlackBerry
blocked porn sites in Indonesia
after the government of
the biggest Muslim in the
world threatened to shut its
services.
Indonesia has three million
BlackBerry subscribers and
generates about $250 million
for RIM.
Unlike emails on the
Internet, RIM’s encrypted
emails pass through its
own servers. The Canadian
company has maintained that
its has no master key to get access its
enterprise emails.

The 23 oil and gas blocks together
cover approximately 270,000 square
kilometres. This will make the
partnership India’s largest private
sector holder of exploration
acreage.
So that the joint venture can
capitalize on Reliance’s outstanding
project management track record and
operations expertise, Reliance will
continue to be the operator under the
production sharing contracts, whose
blocks lie in water depths ranging
from 400 to over 3,000 metres. These
currently produce about 1.8 billion
cubic feet of gas per day (bcf/d),
over 30 per cent of India’s total
consumption, and over 40 per cent
of India’s total production.
“India is one of the fastest growing
economies in the world. By allying
ourselves with Reliance, we will
access the most prolific gas basin in
India and secure a place in the fast
growing Indian gas markets, creating
a genuinely distinctive BP position,”
said Bob Dudley. “BP looks forward
to a long and successful working
partnership with Reliance.”

Petrochemicals major Saudi
Basic Industries Corporation
(Sabic) is planning big
investments in India that may
run into billions of dollars.
Sabic, which ranks among the
world’s top five petrochemical
companies, has been in talks
with Indian petrochemical
players for a joint venture to tap
the huge potential of the Indian
market with cracker projects
and downstream refineries.
India, which imports over
$22 billion of petrochemical
products ever year, offers Sabic
the perfect platform to tap the
potential for its core business
areas like chemicals, fertilizers,
innovative plastics, polymers
and performance chemicals.

Watershed Project Opens Low-risk Credit
Opportunities for banks in Tamil Nadu
MADURAI (The Hindu):
Thousands of hectares of land that
had been lying idle for years in Tamil
Nadu have been made cultivable
through major interventions under
watershed development project of
National Bank for Agriculture and
Rural Development (NABARD).
Being implemented in Tamil Nadu
since 2001, around 160 watershed
development projects are under
way in various districts. In the eight
southern districts covered by Madurai
Watersheds Unit, 85 schemes are
being executed, covering 85,000
hectares.
The completed projects have
transformed villages and made the
lands fertile through measures such
as soil and moisture conservation,
adequate availability of surface
and sub-surface water, besides
replenishment of groundwater table.
Substantial areas have been brought
under cultivation and productivity
has increased in rain-fed areas.
These facts have been confirmed
and corroborated by independent
assessments and studies, according
to NABARD Assistant General
Manager R. Shankar Narayan.
With a view to showcasing
these developments and project
the beneficiary villages as having
potential for minimum-risk credit
opportunities, a three-day workshop
on ‘Post-watershed approaches for
banks’ would be held here from
February 24, he said.
“We will be inviting bank branch
managers and Agriculture Extension/
Field Officers of commercial banks
and Regional Rural Banks from six
southern districts. Credit flow is

high priority for us as it is vital for
sustainable agriculture,” he added.

cropping intensity, thereby boosting
credit demand,” he said.

Around 160 watershed development projects are underway in various
districts in Tamilnadu, India, where groundwater tables collect water
to irrigate farmlands is seen as a welcome development undertaken
by National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

Faculty support would be provided
by NABARD Regional Training
Centre, Mangalore.
S. Natarajan, Deputy General
Manager, NABARD Watersheds
Unit, which covers eight southern
districts, said that the objective of
the workshop was to help augment
credit flow to rain-fed areas.
In these areas, an inherent risk
existed in agriculture as farmers were
solely dependent on rains and lacked
adequate irrigation infrastructure.
“Now with this holistic
development through watersheds,
farmers can get assured crop harvest
and high productivity and increase in

While day one would see theory
sessions outlining development
activities, a field visit to Nilakottai in
Dindigul district has been scheduled
for day two.
“The bankers will be taken to see
two successful watershed projects
and assess for themselves their
impact through interaction with
villagers. Formulation of an action
plan for credit flow and financial
inclusion will be done on the last
day,” he said.
Banks officers from Madurai,
Theni, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga,
Virudhunagar and Tuticorin districts
would be invited.

India Poultry Farmers on High Alert for bird Flu

HYDERABAD (Deccan
Chronicle): The bird flu scare has
again come back to hit the sale of
chicken and eggs in East Godavari
district. The departments concerned
including animal husbandry, medical
and health are on high alert and have
started precautionary steps including
collection of blood samples of all
abnormal dead birds, which has 462
layer and boiler poultry farms with
over 1.77 crore poultry population.
With avian influenza being

confirmed in neighbouring states,
the departments are keeping a special
vigil on migratory birds at bird
sanctuaries like Korin-ga, and have
placed the po-ultry industry on high
alert.
According to the animal
husbandry department, 66 rapid
response teams are doing rounds
of poultry farms to detect signs of
the virus and are collecting blood
samples. On a regular basis, 1,250
serum samples (blood samples) of

abnormal dead poultry, 50 samples
of migratory birds at Korangi were
sent to the Veterinary Biological and
Research Institute at Hyderabad for
confirmation of virus till date from
April last year. However, there was
no positive report, an official said.
According to health officials, the
symptoms of bird flu in humans are
similar to that of regular influenza.
These include high fever, sore throat,
continuous cough, headache and
aching muscles.

China Slams Asian Bank for Funding India’s Water Project in Arunachal Pradesh
NEW DELHI (TOI) : In a move
which can open up old wounds
in India, China has come down
heavily on Asian Development Bank
(ADB) for approving a $2.9 billion
loan to India which, it said, meant
interference in the political affairs
between the two countries. Beijing
was earlier said to have opposed
the loan to India mainly because it
included $60 million funding for
a watershed project in Arunachal
Pradesh, the state around which most
of the Sino-Indian border disputes
are centred.
The Chinese foreign office said in

a statement that the adoption of the
India Country Partnership Strategy
(2009-2012) completely disregarded
Beijing’s concerns as “it involves
disputed territories between China
and India”.
“China expresses strong
dissatisfaction to the move, which
can neither change the existence
of immense territorial disputes
between China and India, nor
China’s fundamental position on its
border issues with India,” said the
statement.
ADB gave the go-ahead to the
project on Monday after having

postponed the approval for several
months apparently because of the
objections raised by China. The
total $2.9 billion package covers the
period from 2009 to 2012.
“As a regional institution on
development, the ADB should not
intervene in the political affairs
of its members. The adoption of
the document has not only dealt a
severe blow to its own reputation
but also undermines the interests of
its members,” it added, while urging
ADB to take effective measures to
eliminate the “terrible impact” of
the decision.

Satsang & spiritual discourses, Sun: 10.30 am.-12.30pm. with simultaneous program of Hindi, Sanskrit and Moral science for kids, dance classes for children and adults every Fri:8 pm,
www.shrikripalukunj.org

To list your Religious Organization events here, please call us at 713-789-6397
This service is available for a nominal fee of $150 / yr (52 issues).

On China-India border issues, it
said that Beijing always believes that
the two sides should seek a fair and
equitable solution acceptable to both
through bilateral negotiation.
ADB had earlier said that the
Country Strategy for India covers
the 2009-12 period and has been
formulated in line with India’s
development priorities as set out
in its 11th Five-Year Plan and is
congruent with ADB’s Strategy
2020.
In March, ADB had to postpone
the board’s discussion on the country
partnership strategy for India at the

request of China, which was
upset by the inclusion of
the watershed development
project in Arunachal Pradesh
in the plan.
However, last month, the
agency made it clear that
differences between India
and China will have no
bearing on ADB’s lending
plans to India saying the
bank does not interfere in
the political affairs of any
member.
As India tries to strengthen
its defences alongside the
border with China, it is
becoming increasingly clear that
Beijing has been rattled by the
exercise which includes deploying
more men in the border areas.
The Chinese media too in the past
few weeks has attacked India for
causing fresh strains in the ties even
though, according to these reports,
India lags far behind China in terms
of status and say in international
matters. In a recent poll conducted
by a news agency in China, 74%
of the respondents in fact said that
they looked upon India as a threat
to China.

Houston Durga Bari Society will celebrate Shib-Ratri ( Shib
Sankranti ) with Bhajan songs ( hindi or bangla ) on Thursday
March 03 from 4-9 pm. The prasad and dinner will be served at
9:30 pm. All are welcome to attend. Please come and enjoy the
puja , prasad and dinner. For sponsoring the Shib-Ratri puja, call
Ganesh Mandal at 713-797-9057 / 832-423-8541 and Dr. Bishnu
pada Goswami at 281-597-8100.

AHMEDABAD (HT): A fast-track
court in Ahmedabad convicted 31
accused and acquitted 63, including
a prime accused Maulavi Umarji, on
Tuesday for lack of evidence in the
2002 Godhra train-burning case. The
court, however, imposed some conditions on the acquitted, asking them to
furnish personal bonds of R10,000
each and sureties and not to leave the
country without the court’s permission.
Designated judge PR Patel also upheld that the incident was an “act of preplanned conspiracy”. He conducted
the trial from June 2009 to September
2010 and examined 255witnesses and
the 19 chargesheets filed by the state
police and would pass the sentence on
February 25.
The verdict came almost nine years
after 59 people, mostly kar sevaks
returning from Ayodhya, were burnt to
death by a mob on February 27, 2002 at
Godhra station in central Gujarat. Gfx:
Ticks and Crosses
The incident triggered the country’s
worst communal riots in Gujarat, leaving more than 1,200 people — mostly

from the minor
minorHe said if the
ity community
apex court re— killed in a
vived the POTA
three-weekcharges against
long carnage
the accused, it
across the state.
could lead to
Later, the Na
Naa re-trial of the
navati commiscase.
sion, appointed
Tuesday’s ver
verby Narendra
dict was delivModi-led state
ered in a court
courtgovernment,
room inside the
endorsed the
high-security
conspiracy theSabarmati cenory in its first
tral jail where
report.
80 accused had
The commisbeen lodged
sion that subsince their arrest
mitted its first
in 2002. No mereport in 2008 Justice finally delivered -- seven years after the fiery attack that killed dia persons were
held that Maul- 59 kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya.
allowed inside
avi Umarji was
the courtroom.
one of the main
“The motive
against the accused.
conspirators in the case.
On February 12, 2009, the high court of the conspiracy was to set the train
Meanwhile, a petition is still pend
pend- upheld the POTA review committee’s on fire... The verdict is based on oral
ing in the Supreme Court by Godhra decision to drop the charges. Senior evidence and eyewitness accounts,”
victims’ families against the Gujarat counsel Sushil Kumar, who represented special public prosecutor JM Panchal
High Court’s decision to drop charges the prosecution, said the petition would said outside the court.
under the Prevention of Terrorism Act come up for hearing on March 3.
The verdict has vindicated the stand
of the Gujarat government that the train
burning incident was a “well hatched
pre-planned conspiracy which was
meant to kill kar sevaks to create com
communal tensions in the state.”
“The judgment today nullifies all
the wrong propaganda of the so-called
NGOs that the Godhra train burning
incident was not a conspiracy,” Gujarat
government spokesperson Jaynarayan
Vyas said.
The prosecution’s case was based on
the investigations by a special investigation team that had identified the 31
convicted people as a core team that
planned the attack. The SIT report
claimed that these 31 people held
meetings, planned to target the train
when it reached the station and burnt
the coach.
Clinching evidence in the 2002
Godhra train burning case came
from Gandhinagar’s Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), lawyers said
on Wednesday after a fast track court
here convicted 31 people and acquitted 63 in the case.

FSL played a key role in the investigation and trial of the case, the
lawyers said.
According to defence lawyer A.A.
Hassan, for the conviction the court
relied on the FSL report to accept the
theory of pre-planned conspiracy.
Godhra verdict: SIT to appeal
against acquittal of 63 accused
‘The court has accepted the theory
that the fire was not accidental and
that entry into the coach was made by
cutting the vestibule and then petrol
was poured inside and it was set on
fire,’ he said.
Special Public Prosecutor J.M.
Panchal said on Tuesday the clinching evidence for the conviction came
from the FSL report, eyewitnesses
and circumstantial evidence.
The FSL, after detailed investigation, had concluded that the burning
of the S-6 coach of the train was by
using petrol. The FSL also stated that
the culprits entered the coach through
a sliding door of the coach.
As per police investigations, the
fire broke out after the accused had
cut a vestibule between two coaches
(S-6 and S-7) and entered from there
whereas another group poured petrol
inside the coach and set it on fire.
This was challenged by lawyers
of the accused in the court as well as
before the Justices (retired) NanavatiMehta probe panel. This panel ruled
that the incident was a pre-planned
conspiracy.
Another inquiry commission of
Justice U.C. Benerjee, which was
formed by the Indian Railways, had
concluded that the incident was ‘accidental’.
To examine the pattern of burning,
FSL reconstructed the scene by pour
pouring liquid from outside, inside and
passage of the coach.
Its examination also showed the
presence of hydrocarbons of petrol
in the S-6 coach. The two containers
found from the track also had petrol
inside. According to the prosecution,
the accused had brought the petrol in a
small truck to the Godhra railway station and then poured it in the coach.

Padma Lakshmi in Custody Battle
The custody battle between Padma Lakshmi and entrepreneur Adam Dell has gotten ugly with Dell claiming that the Indian
origin model told him that she desperately
hoped her other lover, IMG boss Ted Forstmann, was the biological father of her
child.
Adam Dell, the brother of Dell computer
firm founder Michael Dell, is battling the
‘Top Chef’ beauty for full custody of their
11-month-old daughter Krishna Thea.
Dell, 40, claims that Lakshmi launched a
cruel attack on him during a phone call in
September 2009, calling him an “unambitious” man with an “uninteresting” career
and “unmemorable” friends, reported New
York Post online.
He says he then dropped another bombshell, telling him she was pregnant and she
desperately hoped it was not his child.
Dell’s court papers say that Lakshmi told
him she was at the same time dating billionaire, 70-year-old Forstmann, and that
she hoped Dell was nothing to do with the
pregnancy.
“Lakshmi... made clear to Dell her hope
that Forstmann was the child’s biological
father,” according to the suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.
He claims this was the reason she refused
to put his name on the birth certificate, “to
minimize, if not eliminate role in Krishna’s
life and to install Forstmann as Krishna’s
father.”
Dell is suing for full custody, claiming
Lakshmi has limited his time with the 11month-old.
The explosive 16-page complaint accuses Lakshmi, the 40-year-old ex-wife of
author Salman Rushdie, of cutting Dell out
of Krishna’s life, and teaching the baby to

refer to Forstmann as ‘Papa’.
Lakshmi and Dell were romantically
linked, court papers say, from November
2007 until “well into 2009,” taking trips to
India, England, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles and Woodstock.
The pairing ended late in 2009, with Lakshmi allegedly telling Dell that she wanted
to end a “superficial” relationship that was
“primarily physical”. ...

With Padma Lakshmi, things are in a fray,
of relationships between entrepreneur
Adam Dell and Ted Forstmann, undecided
of who is the biological father of her
eleven month old daughter Krishna Thea.
Adam Dell, brother of Michael Dell of Dell
Computers is plowing full steam ahead.

What’s Happening? >>
Plenty!!!

Indo American-News
can now be found on these
web portals worldwide.
Our articles are being
featured by Times of India.
Our website has over
150,000 hits every week!

We carry Horoscope weekly with
Family Advice!
We have Amar Chitra Katha Comics
for the young at heart!

We have exclusive articles
that covers news on South
Asians around Houston and
the world.
We take the time to be
a newspaper different
from other newspapers
out there!

Frog Last Seen in 1874 Found Again
By Chetan Chauhan
phibian, Dot-frogs croak loudly only during
TAMIL NADU (HT): India’s dwindling monsoons, especially when its hiding places
wildlife got a boost when biologists in Tam- get filled up with water.
il Nadu found a frog after 136 years, the
While the first two discoveries were by scioldest rediscovery in the global wildlife his- entists, Delhi University graduate students retory. Five frogs lost 30 to 136 years
ago have been found, earning India
acclaim from International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
and Conservation International, two
leading global wildlife groups.
The most amazing discovery is of
the striking green fluorescent frog,
known as Chalazodes Bubble-nest,
which was last seen in south Western
Ghats in 1874. Its only specimen in
the world is in a British Museum.
“After 1874 the amphibian has now
been seen in Kodayar, Tamil Nadu,”
The Bubble-nest frog thought to be extinct has made
said Dr S D Biju, biologist with Del- its appearance in Tamilnadu, India encouraging
hi University and coordinator for an biologists towards conservation of its species. With
ambitious project of department of ash blue thighs and black pupils with golden patches,
science and technology to rediscover this frog does not go through the free-swimming
lost 50 Indian amphibian species. tadpole stage.
India has 321 recorded amphibian
species of which 13% have been lost due to discovered Dehradun Stream Frog after a gap
human interference.
of 25 years in Chakrata, Uttarakhand.
The uniqueness of the Bubble-nest is its
The fourth and the fifth rediscovery of Siash blue thighs and black pupils with golden lent Valley Tropical Frog, last seen 30 years
patches and its secret life, especially during ago, and Elegant Tropical Frog, last seen 73
the day inside the reeds. It is a frog, which years ago, were in Kerala and Karnataka, redoes not go through the free-swimming tad- spectively.
pole stage.
India launched Lost Amphibians Initiative
The second discovery from south Western with support of former cricketer Anil Kumble
Ghats of Anamalai is the Dot-frog, named and other global partners in 2010 to trace 50
after Anamalai hills, where they were last lost species, of which five have been redisseen 73 years ago. Now it has been found in covered. “We are working towards finding
Parambikulum area of Kerala. A silent am- the remaining 45,” Biju said.

MARK THE BALL • Contest # 7
WIN A DINE-IN GIFT CERTIFICATE!

Indo American News • Friday, February 25, 2011

31

Mangrol Adopts Whale Shark as Mascot

MANGROL (WTI): Mangrol, a small
Speaking at the event, Chaturvedi said,
fishing town situated along Gujarat coast, “The city of Mangrol has been closely ashas a new mascot - the whale shark.
sociated with whale shark conservation for
An initiative of the Gujarat Forest De- the last four years, the fisher folk contributpartment and Wildlife Trust of India - ing selflessly to many rescues. It is a matter
International Fund for Animal Welfare of great pride that they are now taking their
(WTI-IFAW) supported by the Tata Chem- dedication to the next level by officially
icals Limited, the Campaign was launched adopting the Vhali.”
in January 2004 to spread awareness on
Mangrol is the seventh town in Gujarat
the
plight
of
whale
sharks.
The species
was
previously
hunted
in
hundreds in
Gujarat for
their
liver
oil used to
water-proof
boats;
the
meat
and
fins were exported.
A life size inflatable of the whale shark travels with the rally through
With the Mangrol, a Gujarat fishing town.
crucial support of the
fishing community, the Coast Guard, as to have adopted the whale shark as a city
well as the leaders including the popular mascot. Previously Porbandar, Diu, Okha,
leader Shri Morari Bapu, and even chil- Ahmedabad, Veraval and Dwarka had addren, the whale shark is now safe.
opted the whale shark as their official mas“Since the launch of the Campaign, cots.
more than 240 whale sharks accidentally
Rajbir Singh Saini, Head, ER and Admincaught in fishing nets, have been freed istration, TCL, said, “Today over 240 whale
by the Gujarati people,” said Anita Karn, sharks have been rescued till date, and we
DCF-Junagadh.
are proud to achieve this milestone. TCL is
The Whale Shark Day celebrations committed to conserving nature and its rare
kicked off with a rally by hundreds of species in years to come.”
children, following the 40 foot long
The overwhelming success of the camwhale shark inflatable from Parmeshwar paign was a result of multiple strategic apVidyalaya to the event venue at the town proaches involving connection to human
jetty, Mangrol. The event was chaired emotions and socio-cultural beliefs. Shri
by the Chief Conservator of Forests, SK Morari Bapu established a comparison of the
Chaturvedi, and was attended by MLA Ra- whale shark to a daughter returning home to
jgi Bhai Jatwa along with representatives give birth, based on reports of sightings of
from WTI and TCL.
whale shark pups in Gujarat.

• Mark the spot of the missing ball in the photo.
• E-mail us a scanned version with the spot of the missing ball marked as an X on photo.
Indoamericannews@yahoo.com
OR Mail / Drop your entry to: 7457 Harwin Dr, Ste: 262, Houston, TX 77036.
• Win a dine-in gift certificate for dining up to $50 in value. Send in your entry today!.
One entry per family! Value of gift certificate will be decided by Indo American News.
Hurry in with your entry. Do send us your contact details as well.
We will announce the contest # 7 Winner by March 10, 2011 (cut-off date).
No phone or fax entries will be encouraged, they will be considered void.
You can still enter for contest # 6 till February 25, 2011.
WINNERS:
• Contest 1 - Suresh Bidare $40 Dine-in Gift Certificate at Great W’kana Cafe
• Contest 2, 3, 4 and 5 - Entries received, No qualifying winners announced.

Indo American News and its partners, clients, employees and families are not eligible to participate in this contest.

To Sponsor this contest weekly, please call 281-546-8433
Any business other than a restaurant can also sponsor this contest. Please call for details!
INDO AMERICAN NEWS • FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2011 • ONLINE EDITION: WWW.INDOAMERICAN-NEWS.COM

By Liam Brickhill
(Cricinfo) Kenya again appeared
totally out of their depth and posed
no challenge to Pakistan at Hambantota, Collins Obuya’s death-or-glory
47 being the only highlight for them
as Shahid Afridi helped himself to
5 for 16 in a massive 205-run win,
Pakistan’s biggest win in World Cups
and the eighth largest overall.
Four of Pakistan’s batsmen cashed
in to raise half-centuries and set up a
total of 317 for 7 after a brief wobble
against the new ball and Kenya made
little effort to mount a serious challenge in their pursuit, rather looking
to a lay a solid platform in the hope
of batting out their full quota of overs.
That ultimately proved a futile effort,
too, although their innings did at
least last until the 34th over - longer
than their entire match against New
Zealand three days ago.
Kenya’s slide began in earnest
when Afridi brought himself on and,
in his third over, tempted Steve Tikolo
down the pitch only for the ball to rush
straight on to rattle the stumps. Kenya
were 73 for 3 in the 23rd over when
Tikolo was dismissed, without any
real hope of chasing more than 300
but at least looking steady enough
to last the full 50 after the top order
had showed at least a little grit. There
was no such offering from the middle,
however, as the remaining seven
wickets fell for just 39 runs in just
over ten overs.
Afridi was the chief wrecking ball,
quickly ending a bustling innings
from Tanmay Mishra and making
short work of Jimmy Kamande and
Thomas Odoyo as he unfurled a
mixed bag of legbreaks, sliders and
quicker ones as the ball began to bite
and spit off the surface. Amid the
carnage, Obuya opened up to smite
three enormous sixes but was caught
on the boundary attempting a fourth
to give Afridi the best figures by a
Pakistan bowler in a World Cup, beating Wasim Akram’s 5 for 28 against
Namibia in Kimberley at the 2003
tournament. Once he went, the end
was mercifully quick in coming.
Ultimately they flattered to deceive,
but against expectations Kenya had
actually bossed the opening exchanges of the match, Thomas Odoyo and
Elijah Otieno showing admirable
control with the new ball. Otieno
provided the first breakthrough when
Hafeez tried to force a length delivery
into the leg side but hit it uppishly and
Seren Waters, at straight midwicket,

Cup account with
a massive six off
Tikolo and rushed
into the 20s at
better than a-runa-ball to complement the more circumspect Younis,
who showed the
value of steady accumulation before
he was dismissed
lbw for exactly 50
despite an optimistic review.
Misbah and
Umar Akmal were
barely troubled
as they set about
compiling a 118
runs for the fifth
wicket, their partnership exploding into life as
the Batting Powerplay was called
for in the 44th
over immediately
after Misbah had
Misbah-ul-Haq was one of four batsmen to reach reached fifty on his
fifty as Pakistan flattened Kenya at Hambantota.
World Cup debut.
Photo: Getty Images
Umar thrashed 20
leapt to his left and managed to cling off a weary Otieno’s seventh over
onto a juggled catch mere inches and soon sprinted to the fourth fifty
from the turf. In the very next over of the innings as the score passed
Shehzad, who had scratched around 250 in the 46th over. With Pakistan
for 17 balls that yielded just a single now swinging from the hip at just
run, chipped a leading edge to give about everything, Kenya picked up
Jimmy Kamande a simple catch at regular wickets but threatened to
mid-off and Pakistan were in some unravel completely in the face of an
all-out assault.
serious strife.
Odoyo removed Umar and Afridi
The pressure soon began to lift,
however, Kamran Akmal and Younis from consecutive deliveries to find
Khan quickly settling and Nehemiah himself on a hat-trick in the 49th
Odhiambo suffering a shambolic start over but speared the next ball acres
to his spell as 16 runs came from a down the leg side and repeated the
first over that included three no-balls. blunder later in the same over as battle
Kamran proved the more fluent of the fatigue set in. Extras, with 46, very
two early in his innings but Younis nearly became the fifth half-century
provided sensible support and, as the maker of the innings as Kenya had
spinners came on, plenty of ones and the ignominious honour of equalling
twos were taken to keep the score the record for most wides in a one-day
international, and there was a visible
ticking over.
Kamran eased past 50, from 62 sense of relief as they finally comballs, and looked set for plenty more pleted their stint in the field.
Their efforts with the bat quickly
before he charged down the wicket
to left-arm spinner Shem Ngoche put their failures with the ball in the
and was easily stumped. Kenya were shade, however, and Kenya will need
buzzing once more with the break- a complete overhaul if they are to
through, but despite giving a far a challenge anyone in this tournament.
far better account of themselves than At the other end of the spectrum, Pakthey had against New Zealand at istan will be pleased with a generally
Chennai they lacked the necessary slick and professional performance
that has set their campaign off on an
firepower to land the killer blow.
Misbah-ul-Haq opened his World overwhelmingly positive note.

Indo American News • Friday, February 25, 2011

33

Christchurch Earthquake Sparks
Concern in New Zealand Squad

MUMBAI (Cricinfo) A high-intensity earthquake that caused widespread damage in Christchurch has
sparked concern among the cricketers currently in India for the World
Cup, but there has been no report of
any loss of life to their immediate
family. The earthquake, which had
a magnitude of 6.3, struck the city

allrounder Scott Styris expressed his
concern for the members of his squad
who have families in Christchurch,
“Watching CNN. Amazing scenes.
Some worried boys here in India. Be
safe.” Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder,
too, tweeted their concern, while Iain
O’Brien used the site to direct people
to organisations that are offering aid.

The earthquake, which had a magintude of 6.3, struck Christchurch
on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

on Tuesday with 65 people reported
dead so far.
“All immediate friends and family are [okay], but that doesn’t detract from the fact that there have
been fatalities,” Ellery Tappin, the
New Zealand’s media manager said.
All the members of the Australian
women’s team, who were training
at Lincoln University, 22 kms away
from Christchurch, when the quake
struck, have emerged unscathed.
Brendon McCullum, Hamish Bennett, coach John Wright and several
members of the support staff have
links to the area. Some members
of the team had taken to Twitter
to express their concern for those
back home. “Thoughts go out to the
people of Chch today. Terrible thing
to have happened again,” New Zealand opener Martin Guptill wrote on
the micro-blogging site. Meanwhile

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat
said he will be discussing with the
World Cup organisers how those
affected by the quake could be remembered at New Zealand’s match
against Australia in Nagpur on Friday. “We [the ICC] have contacted
the New Zealand Cricket’s chief
executive Dr Justin Vaughan. The
news we have is that the NZC offices have been severely damaged but
thankfully everyone who works for
NZC seems to have escaped without
injury.”
Through the course of the day, several international cricketers voiced
concern on Twitter. Damien Martyn
echoed the tweets of players like
Swann, Dominic Cork, Adam Hollioake, Rohit Sharma and Wayne Parnell when he posted “so sad to watch
the news coverage in Christchurch.
What a start to the year.”

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE
ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20: Your
determination will get the better of
you, compelling
you to find ways to
realize your goals,
acquire property and
deal practically with
material concerns
pertaining to your loved ones. If
you go by your instincts, you may
even be successful in consolidating
your goals. The emphasis this week
will shift to trade, travel and matters
relating to spirituality. But don’t take
your worldly concerns too far, it could
leave your real life in tatters.
TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21:
Trivial worldly worries will abandon
you, at least for this
week. Carpe diem!
You will be funloving and carefree
throughout and will
live for the moment,
even while you’re focusing on love,
leisure and lifestyle. You will engage
in shared activities and will derive
tremendous gains from the same. Issues relating to finance will be dealt
with cleverly, and it is unlikely that
anything else can upset your mer
merriment.
GEMINI Travel is on the cards.
Conferences, symposia, gatherings
and even family
functions are likely
to keep you occupied. However,
you may be in two
minds while taking
decisions, so it is advisable to avoid
reaching any conclusion on crucial
matters if there is a clash of interest.
Also, do not spend too much on either
entertainment or investments in business, for you may end up neglecting
people who depend heavily on you
for financial help.
CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 23: You
will be overcome by a certain kind
of craving for more
thrills in life. Emotion will gush out,
especially while
strengthening your
personal relationships. Your search for a life partner
may also come to an end this week,
as an engagement is on the cards.
This may also provide the emotional
security you were looking for. Travel,
if there are any such plans, will be
exciting and profitable.

LEO July 24 - Aug 23: You are
blessed with a week full of honey
and money. Passion
and sex will rule this
week. And if you get
any time from the
above mentioned
indulgences, you
will be busy buying, selling, raising
funds and capital, entering into joint
accounts and deals. In short, finding
love, sex and money will be your
prime motivators during this week. It
may not matter how you get it.
VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23: Future
goals will now take priority. You
will concentrate on
professional as well
as personal growth
and success. You will
exhibit a marvellous
confluence of exper
expertise and innovation. You will realise
all your dreams and aspirations without much effort. As a Virgo, you’ll be
tempted to over-exert yourself. Take
sufficient rest and maintain regular
working hours to achieve the desired
results.
LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23: You
will be tried and tested this week,
but will emerge
successful in every
sphere. Family and
love will demand
your time and you
will not turn them
down. You will also
be efficient in handling social ser
service, work productivity and other issues. Your unmatchable social skills,
Libran charm and ability to make
people feel at ease are your assets, and
will prove instrumental in helping
you achieve your goals.
SCORPIO Oct 24 - Nov 22:
The twin trend of the past week may
not be as dominant
now, but will continue for sure. You
will accept and appreciate whatever
life has to offer, and
will be capable of
finding ways to keep yourself content
and happy at all times. Moments of
togetherness with friends and family
members will bring you unrestrained
joy. Money won’t be an issue either;
your intellect will rule all your activities.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 22:
The week continues to be one where

www.GaneshaSpeaks.com
you may be making a
few changes to your
house, or maybe even
changing your house.
The week will be
difficult, intense and
emotional. You may
find yourself getting a little inclined towards spirituality, and even black magic.
With the word for the week being ‘intense’, which will also be the word for
your love life, you will be bumbling
with passion in whatever you do during
this week.
CAPRICORN Dec 23 - Jan 20:
Time will move slow this week, leaving
you in a sluggish and
sulky mood. But at
some point, you will
be so vexed waiting
for something substantial to happen
that you may want
to do too much too soon. Not a bad idea
provided you have the confidence and
grit to prove you are capable. You may
feel lacking in creativity, which could also
lead to a sense of insecurity.

AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19:
You will be practical in your approach
to everything, especially matters
related to finance.
Your spendings
will be in control,
be it when you are
out shopping or looking to refurbish
your home. However, even if your
expenses go higher than what you
may have budgeted, you will ensure
that things are absolutely necessary.
Money matters will be your primary
concern this week, but more impor
important than financial gains will be how
best you utilize your resources.
PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20: A
huge impetus at work awaits you this
week. Some very
interesting offers
and opportunities
may come your
way, and you must
make the most of
these if you are looking for monetary
gains.
Your extremely ambitious and
energetic nature may lead you to
success. But family will hold equal
importance.
You will devote much of your time
trying to understand their problems
and find an alternative solution.

ONLINE EDITION: www.indoamerican-news.com

Family Projects for Bonding Together
Great family projects are in abundance. The first key to having a
good family project is to make it one that everyone can help with. It’s
important that each person gets the chance to contribute wholeheartedly to the project at hand. It increases the feeling of pleasure when
you all look at what you did together.
The second key for a great family project is that it is one that everyone can be interested in, either as far as results are concerned or
else as far as the actual process is concerned (preferably both). Some
examples are:
• Baking and decorating a gingerbread house (it doesn’t have to be
just in the winter) • Working at a soup kitchen • Clearing a trail
for the rangers when out camping • Throwing a masquerade ball with
homemade masks • Planning a surprise party for someone • Learning
to juggle as a group • Train to run or walk a marathon • Building and
painting a tree house • Acting out a play with homemade costumes and
props • Celebrate an ancestor’s birthday • Make a family scrapbook •
Plant and maintain a vegetable garden.

Make Family projects fun and entertaining for all.
Spring Break is coming up. Let us know how you did!

Making Marriage Relationships Work
With the taste of wedding cake barely off their lips, divorce is the
last thought -- or word -- on newlyweds’ minds. But as the honeymoon period wanes, and day-to-day difficulties crop up, the word can
come up frequently during arguments for some couples, say relationship counselors. “Just don’t go there,” suggests Steve Brody, PhD, a
psychologist in Cambria, Calif., who counsels couples. “Some people
pull that out much too early, and much too often in a relationship. It
raises a whole level of anxiety [in the person hearing it].”
“Don’t use the D word” was one oft-repeated suggestion for keeping
a happy marriage, Boggs says. These marriage masters told him, “You
need all your energy to find the solution to a problem and work it out.
If you are even giving any consideration to a divorce, you lessen your
ability to solve the problem.” - Source: WebMD

HOUSTON: Spartans won the
TCC Winter 2010 Taped Ball
Cricket T20 Tournament. Spartans
beat Gladiators by 5 wickets with
3 overs remaining in an exciting
match. Spartans who were unbeaten in the tournament won the deserving championship in the well
fought out tournament that had 13
participant teams.

stricted to 100/9 after 20 overs due
to great bowling from Spartans
who picked up the last 7 wkts for
just 46 runs. Sanman held the innings together with an unbeaten
17. Jhaleel was the star bowler
with 4 wickets for 11 runs and was
supported by Jawad (2 wkts), Sohail (1 wkt), Kiran and Natraj.
Spartans did not have a great

no surprises. Krishna (9 runs) and
Kiran finished the game in style in
18th over. Ninad did a great job
in bowling with 3 wickets for 14
runs. The game had high quality
great umpiring from two neutral
umpires Mohan Palla and Vamsee
Kota.
The game was followed by a well
organized prize distribution ceremony arranged by TCC. The presentation party had Nanda Kumar
president of TCC and HCL, members of TCC EC (Roshan, Bhaskar
and Sreenivas) and chief guest Dr.

Khalid Nabi, a senior member of
HCL and known for organizing
cricketing events in Houston. Dr
Khalid Nabi was honored with a
memento by TCC. Jagadish Biradar, organizer for TCC Taped Ball
tournament coordinated the presentation ceremony.
Natraj, the captain of Spartans
was handed over the championship trophy and Sachin the captain
of Gladiators was handed over the
runners up trophy. The players of
the winners and runners up received individual trophies. Man of

the match for the finals was Jawad
from Spartans.
Vinit from Gladiators won the
Best Batsman trophy. Natraj from
Spartans won the Best Bowler trophy. Jawad from Spartans won the
Best All Rounder trophy. Trophies
were also given to the man of the
match for Semi Finals. Natraj from
Spartans and Vinit from Gladiators
won the man of the match trophy
for the Semi Finals.
TCC Spring 2011 Taped Ball
Cricket T20 Tournament will start
from 5th of March.

Spartans team with winning championship

Gladiators won the toss and
elected to bat first on a cloudy Saturday morning. They got off to a
slow start due to some tidy bowling by Spartans, but they picked
up the scoring rate after 5 overs
mainly due to big hitting by Vinit
who scored 30 runs. They scored
54/2 at the end of 10 overs and
were set up for a good total in the
next ten overs. But they were re-

start by losing one of the Openers
in the first over of their chase. Jeeva (16 runs) and Avinash (13
runs) steadied the innings with
sensible batting. At the end of 10
overs, Spartans (45/2) needed 56
runs to win from last 10 overs with
8 wickets in hand. Kiran (22 runs)
and Jawad (30 runs with two huge
sixes) played risk free fast paced
cricket to steer the innings with